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BLUE JACKET
(Blythe City)(Milford)
(Elko County)
The Blue Jacket Mine was discovered by a prospecting party led by Jesse Cope in 1869. Cope later figured prominently in copper discoveries in the Mountain City area. The Blue Jacket Mine was the initial discovery in the Centennial Mining District which later was absorbed into the Aura Mining District. Shortly after Cope's discovery, other prospectors made locations along Blue Jacket Canyon and nearby Columbia Creek. A town developed at Columbia and virtually all supplies for the mines and miners came from stores there.
By July of 1871, five mining companies were working mines in Blue Jacket Canyon: Blue Jacket, Johnson, Ontario, Nevada, and Fifteenth Amendment. The Blue Jacket Mine was by far the most productive of the area's mines. A small camp, named Blythe City after the mine owner, Thomas Blythe, formed at the mine. In October of 1875, a 10-stamp mill was completed a mile below the mine, alongside Blue Jacket Creek. The mill was water-powered and equipped with Bruckner furnaces. About 15 people lived at the mill and another 25 at the mine. A tramway was built from the mine to the mill. The road to the mine was too steep and dangerous for ore wagons. The tram was used, off and on, for 40 years. By 1877, Blythe City had grown enough that a Justice of the Peace (J.J. Carmany) and a Constable (John Cope) were named. In 1879, S.B. Morey was named superintendent of the Blue Jacket operation.
Blythe died in 1879 and the property became part of the Blythe estate. However, without his leadership, the mine never regained its prominence. In 1880, a number of mines in the Centennial District, including the Blue Jacket, Tuscarora, Pioneer, Hoosier State, Ontario, Revenue and Emigrant Mines, were sold by the Blythe estate to English interests. Joe McClay built a five-stamp mill, called the Cumberland, below the old Blue Jacket Mill. The Cumberland and Argent water ditches were dug to bring additional water to the mill. However, the venture proved a dismal failure. In April of 1885, the Blue Jacket, still an active producer, was sold to James White, formerly of the White and Allen Mill Building Company, for $85,000. The purchase also included the old Blue Jacket mill.
The mill was overhauled by James Dawley and William Milford took over managerial duties. The mill had been idle for six years and was restarted in July. By August, 60 men were working at the mine and mill. A tunnel was started with the intention of coming out on the White Rock side of the Centennial Range. In September, Blythe City was renamed Milford after the mill superintendent on September 15, 1885. However, that honor was short-lived. For reasons still unclear, the company curtailed all operations in October and abandoned the property. This was despite the fact the company was shipping over $1,000 of bullion a week. Sixty men were left without jobs. The property reverted to the Blythe estate. This strange turn of events ended the many productive years for the Blue Jacket mine and mill. The mine was revived during 1889 and was worked until the early teens.
The tramway was refurbished and used to bring ore down to trucks. New stock was issued and the Blue Jacket Mining Company was formed. The new directors were James Pennie (President), F.J. Kelley (Secretary), M.S. Jeffers, G.H. Varney, James Wright, and W.B. Cluff. The mine and mill were leased from the Blythe Estate. The Blythe Estate was still mired in a bitter dispute in the San Francisco courts. A long lost daughter from England showed up claiming the estate. Rumors in the Blue Jacket area were that the town could be renamed Florence City. It wasn't until April of 1890 that testimony in the case was finally concluded. In August, the courts declared Florence Blythe the sole heir. However, she had no interest in mining operations and there was little chance of a revival.
The mill, while impressive, was basically a failure because of the rebellious ore of the district. In fact, only a watchman and sheepdog were in the camp at the mill. However, the saga of the Blythe Estate was far from over. In December of 1892, the Supreme Court of California affirmed that Florence was the sole heir of Thomas Blythe's millions. Lawyer fees for the case were $834,000. In the meantime, the mine and mill had been attached by Thomas Trezine who was owed $16,300. The property was sold at a sheriff's auction at the courthouse in Elko. However, little was every done with the property. The mill, by the teens, had fallen into disrepair and was unusable.
More productive mining came to the forefront on lower Blue Jacket Creek in 1903. The Aura King Mine was discovered during the summer by the Walker Brothers. The Aura King Gold Mining Company was incorporated in November with R.P. Hunter as president. The company owned the Aura King, Del Monte, Tecumseh, Humboldt, and Gold Bug Mines. During the next three years, two five-stamp mills were built in the canyon. In 1906, the Blewett Brothers discovered the Jackpot Mine. The Blewetts also purchased the Walker Mill, built in July, 1904. By 1908, two shifts were working the Jackpot Mine.
The Aura King company built a number of buildings to house its miners. Two boardinghouses, a mess hall, and shops were constructed. Ore produced was crushed at the company mill. The mill was kept running 24 hours a day, mainly on ore from the Aura King Number One. The Aura King Hotel was built at the camp in 1907. In July of 1906, the Denver-Nevada Placer Mining Company began working 2200 acres of ground. Under the supervision of H.L. Morris, a 5000' flume was constructed but the operation only had limited success before folding in 1908. In August of 1909, the Walker Brothers built a small cyanide plant above the Aura King camp. The continued production from and interest in Blue Jacket properties led to the creation of the town of Aura, located only a mile away. Supplies for the mines and miners were shipped through Aura. Columbia, by this time, had been dead for years and did not benefit from the Blue Jacket activity.
1908 was Blue Jacket Canyon's best year. Almost 12,000 ounces of silver and 160 of gold were produced. A strike was made in April of 1912 in the Bonanza Jackpot Mine. The mine was owned by the Blewett Brothers, John Taylor, A.W. Sewell, and Barney Horn (postmaster at Aura). The ore was treated at the Walker Brothers cyanide mill. However, while production from a number of mines continued through 1917, amounts tailed off drastically after 1914. The Aura King company folded in 1917 and all the mills closed. Since the 1920s, only occasional leasing attempts have been made.
Remains in Blue Jacket Canyon make it one of the more fascinating places to visit in Elko County. At the Aura King camp, one clapboard boardinghouse still stands. Collapsed remains of four other buildings remain. Mining equipment and parts litter the site. The road is completely washed out a couple of hundred yards above the ruins. This necessitates a hardy hike up the picturesque canyon. Luckily, there are a number of great campsites at Aura King to use as a base camp. About a mile up the canyon are the ruins of a small five-stamp mill. The mill was last used during the 1950s during some short-lived mining.
Further up the creek, where the road turns to head up to the Blue Jacket Mine, are the remains of the ten-stamp Blue Jacket Mill. Stone foundations, crushing equipment, and scattered bricks from the stack mark the site. A couple of large wooden wheels used for the tramway wires also remain. Evidence of the tramway exists on the way to the Blue Jacket Mine. Besides collapsed transoms, parts remain including some with dates on them from the early 1870s. A number of smaller mines and dumps exist halfway to the Blue Jacket Mine. The Blue Jacket Mine is located nearly at the top of Blue Jacket Peak. Large mine dumps and a couple of buildings remain. The mine building is left from the revival after the turn of the century.
The Blythe City town site is now buried under the mine dump. The only remaining structure from the 1880s is a collapsing outhouse. Just above the mine are the remnants of the original Blue Jacket Mine. Stone foundations mark the beginning of the tram. Large concrete pads with huge bolts show how the tram was anchored. Remains of metal piping and wooden flume sections are evidence of the water supply for Blythe City.
The strong flowing spring still runs. While only sheep and wildlife occupy the canyon and creek today, there are signs of extensive exploration during the past few years. Drilling roads criss-cross the sides of Blue Jacket Canyon. Whether mining returns remains to be seen but the extensive mining remnants are mute testimony that gold and silver still exist.